This flower bed is best suited for zones 6-8 (with some wiggle room on either side), and is based on two garden beds I grew a few years ago in the UK. Now that I’m in the Desert Southwest, this layout isn’t so practical for me anymore—but it’s perfect for many of you!

The Plant List

This plan uses six pollinator-friendly favorites, chosen for height variation, texture, and bloom time. All of these are available in the Planter App too:

• Dahlia – Tall, dramatic blooms in late summer to fall. Great focal points with vibrant, full color.
• Snapdragon – Upright early bloomers that bring vertical structure. Excellent for bees, and a good contrast to the looser growth habits of the other plants.
• Bee Balm (Monarda) – A favorite of bees and hummingbirds. Mid-season bloomers with bold texture and striking, unusual flower shapes.
• Cosmos – Airy foliage and daisy-like flowers that bloom all summer. Great for filling in gaps in the display.
• Alyssum – Low-growing and fragrant, ideal for softening edges. Looks lovely when allowed to spill gently over borders and into neighboring zones.
• Nasturtium – Edible, trailing blooms that add color and charm.

Together, these plants will support bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds (if they’re around where you live) across the season, with vibrant blooms across the bed from early Spring to late Fall.

The Layout

The Planter App works in squares, which is excellent for most garden plans. However, curves often work better when it comes to flower beds, helping the display feel natural and unified. This design uses three main zones:

1. Tall show plants – Dahlias and snapdragons primarily occupy the back of the bed, so they don’t overshadow the others.
2. Medium-height massing plants – Cosmos and bee balm help create a smooth transition with lots of texture and interest.
3. Low, trailing plants – Alyssum and nasturtiums fill the front. You could also add marigolds here for more color.

I like to mark up my designs (this one was done in MS Paint) to visualize how plants will overlap and where the curves will be. I’ve aimed for plenty of overlap at the front to form a carpet that helps suppress weeds and hides bare stems that appear later on taller plants like cosmos and bee balm.

This can also be done using paper and pencil, which is generally my preferred method.

Design Principles

Rather than scattering individual plants, this design uses clusters, which offer several advantages:

• You’re less dependent on one plant thriving.
• Transitions between zones look smoother.
• Blooms make more visual impact in groups.

Key details:

• Snapdragons are placed in mirrored sets of four, anchoring both ends and the center.
• Cosmos and Alyssum are repeated throughout the bed, tying everything together.
• Nasturtiums are staggered in three bold patches, balancing structure with a bit of whimsy.

This approach avoids what can become a chaotic look by grouping plants by height, spacing out bloom times, and varying color just enough. Keep in mind, though, that some controlled chaos can work wonderfully too! You can balance the look and feel of your flower bed to your tastes!

You can mix and match color palettes for most of these plants. I lean toward a mix of pinks, reds, and oranges, with white Alyssum. This design would also work wonderfully with a varied blend of colors throughout; it’s very flexible.

Symmetry and Flow

The layout has a mirrored structure, which helps guide the eye across the bed and gives it an intentional, restful feel, even when it’s bursting with blooms.

• Snapdragons bloom early.
• Cosmos and Bee Balm take over in midsummer.
• Dahlias bring the season to a grand finale.
• Nasturtiums and Alyssum offer continuous color and scent with minimal effort.

Layering bloom times means there’s always something happening in the bed. And if you keep up with deadheading, many of these plants will bloom more than once.

The symmetry here is almost—but not perfectly—balanced. That’s intentional. Perfect symmetry can feel stiff, and if one plant fails, it becomes obvious. Slight variation helps the design feel natural.

Plant Numbers

With flowers, you have a little more wiggle room than with vegetables, in terms of space. I always plant more than I need so I can adjust as things grow (or don’t). Here’s what I’m planning for this bed:

• Dahlias: 4-6
• Bee Balm: 4–5
• Cosmos: 6–8
• Nasturtiums: 5-10 (size varies a lot)
• Alyssum: 16-18
• Snapdragons: Same as the original plan

Since I’m starting from seed (and tubers for the dahlias), some loss and thinning are expected. The key to flower gardening is flexibility—you can always thin or expand a patch if something doesn’t thrive.

Tips For Success

• Staking: Dahlias and Cosmos may need support midseason.
• Thinning: Bee Balm can get mildew if crowded. Improve airflow by removing a few plants if needed.
• Deadheading: Keep Alyssum, Cosmos, and Snapdragons blooming by removing spent flowers.

Feeding: Nasturtiums prefer poor soil and minimal feeding. Dahlias, on the other hand, are heavy feeders.

Adapting This for Your Garden

This style of layering and massing works in beds of any size, though smaller beds benefit from fewer large plants. In this 4×8, I’ve included three tall species: dahlia, bee balm, and snapdragon, which might be too much for, say, a 2×4 ft bed.

For a smaller version, you could:

• Keep the Alyssum and Nasturtium at the front.
• Mix Bee Balm and Cosmos together more densely.
• Add 4–5 scattered Snapdragons to break up the display.

Or

• Offset five Dahlias in a staggered pattern. 
• Fill in with Alyssum and Marigolds at the front.
• Fill in with Snapdragons at the rear.

For larger and/or longer beds, try extending the central massing of Bee Balm and Cosmos into a broader wave or repeating the Snapdragon/Dahlia anchor at intervals to create rhythm across the space. Long borders do well with layered depth—taller plants in the back, of course, but also repeating colors or shapes to tie the space together.

Don’t be afraid to get out some pencils and paper. Sketch out designs and get a feel for the space; a small bed can accommodate a lot of flowers.

Wrapping Up

This 4×8 design shows how even a modest flower bed can feel lush, layered, and pollinator-friendly. With attention to grouping, height, and bloom timing, you can create a garden that feels both abundant and thoughtfully composed—one that thrives even if a few surprises pop up.

Hummingbirds’ primary food source is the nectar of flowers. Still, they eat small amounts of bugs, helping keep insect populations in check. When they visit flowers, they also help pollinate. Tubular-shaped flowers are perfect for hummingbirds to sip nectar with their long beak. While they love nectar-filled flowers of all colors, they are drawn in by red flowers the most. If you want to add the excitement of hummingbirds to your gardens, put some of these “hummingbird magnet” plants in your garden plans this year!

Foxglove

Although all parts of the foxglove are poisonous to humans, hummingbirds aren’t affected by them. Foxgloves bloom in late spring and early summer, so they’re much appreciated by hummingbirds while they wait for summer’s bountiful blooms. Many nectar-rich flowers love sunny spots in the garden, but the foxglove prefers areas that get afternoon shade.

Larkspur

Another early bloomer in the garden, larkspurs are a favorite among hummingbirds. Like foxgloves, larkspurs are poisonous to pets and humans, but again, this is not a problem for hummingbirds.  

Snapdragon

Hummingbirds love snapdragons. The varieties ’Twinny Peach’ and ‘Sonnet*’* are noted to be especially good for hummingbirds because of their flower shape and high nectar content.

Stock

A member of the Brassica family, cool-weather-loving stock (Matthiola incana) flowers will attract hummingbirds to your garden. With growing heights of 2-3 feet tall (.6-.9m), they’ll surely grab the attention of hummingbirds in the area. 

Fuchsia

Another great flower for areas with partial shade is the fuchsia. Fuchsias are a classic hummingbird magnet. Place hanging baskets of fuchsia around your porch or patio for some up-close bird watching.  

Bee Balm

Bee balm, also known as Monarda, is a wonderful multi-purpose plant; from its herbal features to its beauty, bee balm is also an absolute favorite of hummingbirds.  Its long tubular flowers are perfect for hummingbirds to put their long beaks into. While it looks like hummingbirds use their beaks as a straw to suck up nectar, they actually slide their beaks into flowers, and then their skinny tongue shoots out and laps up the nectar! Definitely add bee balm if you are trying to bring in hummingbirds. 

Crocosmia

Crocosmias are the perfect flower for hummingbirds, especially if you get the variety known as ‘Lucifer.’ They love the bright red flowers.  Grow crocosmia in a sunny location.  While these plants are very beautiful, it’s important to note that in some areas, they are considered invasive and can become pests in your garden, especially in areas like the West Coast of the United States.

Scarlet Runner Beans

A plant that humans and birds can eat, the lovely scarlet runner bean has beautiful red and orange flowers, followed by edible bean pods.  Grow these around an A-frame trellis for a tent-like “fort” where kids can hang out and watch the birds buzz by.  Keep picking beans as summer goes on to encourage flower production.

Salvia 

Salvias are members of the mint family, and there are about 1,000 plants in the Genus Salvia.  Salvia refers to sage, but not all Salvias are the culinary kind of sage. Of all the plants in my garden, one tends to spark the most hummingbird battles: the ornamental Salvia variety known as ‘Hot Lips.’  These tube flowers are red and white, filled with a lot of nectar, and tend to keep blooming past the hottest days of summer and into the fall in my zone (8b).  If you plant some ‘Hot Lips,’ it’s almost guaranteed that you will have at least one hummingbird visitor. They also like other Salvia varieties, but I think the red draws in the birds the most. 

Plants for Hummingbird Hangouts

Hummingbirds prefer to make their nests in trees and shrubs with slender branches and high enough up off the ground to be be safe, at least 10 feet up and usually much higher. They make their nests in the forks of branches. Naturally, they choose places that are close to reliable food sources. Elder trees seem to be popular with the hummingbirds in my yard. They love the spring blooms and I often see them hanging out on the branches. Lilacs offer a great place to get a snack and possibly make a nest.

Hummingbird Feeders

You will likely become the neighborhood hummingbird buffet if you plant some of these flowers.  You can still fill feeders with nectar even if you have all of these flowers, but keep it clean and re-fill it with fresh nectar often. Hummingbirds can become very sick and even die when mold grows in feeders (which happens fast when it is hot outside).  Feeder tips:

• Always use pure white cane sugar for homemade mixes.
• Do not use the raw brown organic kind. This kind of sugar is great for us due to the minerals, but it is not good for hummingbirds. 
• Do not use food coloring. The color of the bird feeder should be enough to draw it in.

Use this ratio when making nectar with cane sugar: 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. So, you could dissolve 1 cup of sugar into 4 cups of water. 

via GIPHY

No garden needed with the method above!

Design Your Hummingbird Garden

Use the Planter App to design the hummingbird garden of your dreams!